Why does mom have bruises?

Having a parent or grandparent in a nursing home can be incredibly difficult, especially when so many of us have promised we’d keep them at home forever. So often residential care hardly feels like it reduces the amount of time we spend caregiving, with all the driving back and forth, paperwork, laundry, and endless errands.

And then there’s the day we visit mom and she has bruises on her. One of the hardest parts of dementia is that she can’t tell me what happened.

Before you panic and yank her out of the nursing home, read this:

Take it with a grain of salt

Her explanation, that is. People with dementia often mix up the details. Did the aide hit her or did she hit the aide? Remember that you can’t take her story at face value. I’m not saying to ignore her story, but look for some evidence before you make any accusations. Asking her what happened is just one step in figuring out what to do.

Was there a procedure involved?

Routine blood draws, physical therapy, and other minor medical procedures can leave bruising. Check with the nursing staff to find out what medical professionals she’s seen recently and what they’ve done that might cause bruising.

Check her medications

Some medications increase susceptibility for bruising, like blood thinners and heart disease medications. Even pain killers, antidepressants, and asthma medications can cause people to bruise easily. Some supplements, like fish oil and ginkgo, act as blood thinners and can lead to bruising.

Other medications can cause dizziness, leading to bumps and falls.

Check in with the pharmacist to see if this might be the explanation and if there’s any cause for concern.

Liver problems and other conditions can also lead to bruising easily. If nursing home staff aren’t sure where the bruising is coming from, make sure she’s checked over for health problems that might be causing it.

Bruising can also be a sign of vision or balance problems. Talk to her doctor and get her vision checked. Make sure there are grab bars installed in the nursing home and that she’s using a walker or cane if she needs to.

It might be benign

Older people tend to have delicate skin and bruise easily. This is especially true for women. The loss of fat under the skin increases someone’s risk for bruising, as does past sun damage and a host of other factors.

If you’ve ever hoisted an elderly person out of bed when they weren’t being cooperative, you can understand that it’s possible to bruise someone accidentally in the normal course of affairs, even when you’re being careful. It often doesn’t take much force to cause bruising in someone with delicate skin and frail blood vessels.

Talk to the nursing home staff to see if there have been any problems. Has she been resisting being helped with mobility? Has she been bumping into things? Has she been getting the supervision and support she requires?

It may be time to get her physical therapy to help her move around more safely or an investigation into what might be causing her to be uncooperative when getting in and out of bed.

Not only is it easier for elderly people to bruise, they take much longer to heal. A bruise that might heal in two weeks on a young person may still be there months later for someone who’s elderly. This can lead to occasional bruises adding up — and making it seem like a major cause for concern.

It might not be benign

Some dementia patients are placed in nursing care because they’re aggressive toward caregivers — they may be violent toward other patients, too.

Watch how the staff treat other patients to see if a certain staff member is handling them roughly. Make sure they’re lifting patients correctly. Improper lifting is dangerous to both the caregiver and the recipient!

Unfortunately, figuring out if this is a case of elder abuse or not can become tricky with dementia. The signs of abuse we look for — bruises, social withdrawal, confusion, depression, hygiene issues, and weight loss — are all relatively common among elderly dementia patients.

If the staff seem poorly trained or are constantly turning over, that’s a sign that things aren’t well run behind the scenes.

Finding a safe nursing home

Even in the best nursing homes, where patients are safe and supervised, patients will get bruises occasionally. There will even be occasional bumps and falls.

We can’t protect our parents from everything — and I’ve certainly gotten my share of bruises from bumps I don’t remember. It happens.

But if you’re seeing a pattern of bruising or are noticing other causes for concern, look into it. The more time you spend in the nursing home with her, the better off you’ll both be.

If nothing seems amiss, bruising easily may be part of the new normal. Make sure staff are extra gentle with her. Icing and elevating bruises right away can help reduce marks. Long sleeves and long pants may help give the skin a little extra protection.

Thankfully, as long as bruising isn’t a sign of abuse or an underlying condition, it won’t cause long-term damage.

About Cori Carl

As Director, Cori develops our comprehensive global communications and development strategy. She’s constantly tweaking our services based on data-driven marketing metrics and feedback from caregivers. She works to grow our community and build the reputation of The Caregiver Space by amplifying the message on social media, cultivating relationships with experts, creating organizational partnerships, and earning media coverage. She’s an active member of the community and regularly creates resources for Caregivers.

Cori joined The Caregiver Space after a decade of serving as a communications consultant for a number of nonprofit organizations and corporations furthering sustainable energy and urban planning solutions.

Currently, Cori is finishing up her MA in Corporate Communications from Baruch College at CUNY, and has a BA in Media Studies from Eugene Lang College at the New School University. She divides her time between Flatbush, Brooklyn, and downtown Toronto.